"Long time no see, Uncle Fugaku!"
Ren walked up to Fugaku, leaned slightly forward, and chuckled softly.
"Ah, it must have been half a year, Ren."
A rare smile suddenly appeared on Fugaku's perpetually stern face. He clasped his hands and nodded at Ren.
"Yes, last time I returned to the Village, Uncle Fugaku was still on a mission, so we missed each other."
"Hahaha!"
Fugaku turned and walked into the Konoha Camp.
"Let's go, we can talk on the way. The Commander is still waiting for you."
"Alright!"
Ren quickly followed him into the Konoha Camp, and the scene inside momentarily stunned Ren.
Nearly all the Konoha Ninja in the Konoha Camp were injured and hurried about their business. The pace was much faster than the main camps on other battlefields.
"It's strange, isn't it?"
Just as Ren was wondering, Uchiha Fugaku, standing beside him, noticed his expression. He scanned the surroundings and said in a deep voice.
"Because the Village is currently short on troops, the Konoha Ninja on this battlefield have to face two or even more opponents. So, the casualties here are much higher than in other main camps."
"Is that so…"
As Ren murmured softly, Uchiha Fugaku spoke again.
"Fortunately, we used the natural barriers at the Land of Fire's border to halt Kumogakure's advance, but due to manpower issues, we lack the strength to counterattack, and thus we've been in a stalemate until now."
Upon hearing this, Ren sighed and said softly.
"I understand. Then I'll go to the Medical Camp later and help out. It seems the medical team here is very busy."
A hint of approval appeared in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to look at Ren.
"Oh, right, I heard you came to deliver intelligence. Is there any important news from Minato?"
"Cough, cough!"
At this, Ren immediately felt a bit awkward. He looked around before whispering.
"Well, I was originally out on a mission, and on my way back… I found I was very close to your location, so I came to check."
He would never admit that he ended up here because he held the map upside down.
"So that's how it is."
Uchiha Fugaku understood immediately and nodded.
"Then you should send a message back to Minato in the tent first, so he doesn't worry."
"Alright!"
"Oh, and this… what is this?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at the Cloud Ninja's corpse on Ren's back and asked curiously.
"Oh, that? You'll know in a bit."
Uchiha Fugaku didn't mind Ren's riddle and continued to chat with him about other things.
While they were talking, they had already arrived in front of a tent. Because of Fugaku, the guards at the entrance didn't stop Ren and let them in directly.
As soon as they entered, Ren saw a person standing with his back to them in front of a huge military map. He turned around after noticing the movement behind him, and their gazes met in the air.
"Commander."
Fugaku greeted him and then moved to the side, leaving the two to face each other.
"Lord Orochimaru, long time no see!"
Ren was the first to bow in greeting. After straightening up, he smiled at the other's gaze.
"Hehehe, long time no see, Ren-kun."
The familiar husky voice sounded, and under Ren's gaze, Orochimaru slowly approached.
Compared to his usual dust-free attire, Orochimaru, now wearing a black combat uniform, exuded an additional layer of invisible pressure.
"Ren-kun, have you come to deliver intelligence this time? Are there any changes in Hidden Mist?"
"Cough, cough."
As expected, Ren repeated the same excuse he had given Uchiha Fugaku earlier, successfully getting away with it.
After listening to Ren's explanation, Orochimaru's face remained expressionless. He simply nodded and said.
"I see. Then Ren-kun should first send a message back to Minato-kun. As for this…"
Noticing Orochimaru's gaze, Ren paused for a moment before realizing and quickly said.
"This is a Cloud Jonin I caught on the way. I brought him back to see if we can get any useful intelligence."
"Oh, a Cloud Jonin?"
Orochimaru and Fugaku, who was not far away, immediately brightened. When the Jonin had reported earlier, to avoid a conflict between Ren and the gate guards, he had only mentioned Ren coming to deliver intelligence. Uchiha Fugaku hadn't inquired further then, never expecting it to be a Jonin from Hidden Cloud Village.
"You've worked hard, Ren-kun."
As Orochimaru spoke, he waved his hand, and the next moment, a figure flashed out from the shadows. Wearing an animal mask and carrying a standard long sword on its back, it was Anbu.
"It's nothing."
Ren handed the Cloud Jonin to the Anbu. The Anbu took it, hoisted it onto its shoulder, and instantly disappeared from the spot again using Instantaneous Body Technique.
"Then please make yourself at home, Ren-kun. This can serve as your identification. You can freely enter and exit the Konoha Camp."
As Orochimaru spoke, he pulled a card from his body and tossed it to Ren, nodding with a smile.
"Alright, then you two get back to work."
Seeing Orochimaru return to his desk to review documents and Uchiha Fugaku also busy nearby, Ren wisely chose not to disturb them.
After exiting the command tent, he walked towards the tent Orochimaru had arranged for him earlier.
"Phew."
Ren entered the tent and flopped onto the bed, his stomach rumbling simultaneously.
"Brother, please stop rumbling. Let me rest for a bit."
Ren rolled over on the bed, then pulled a Soldier Ration Pill from his body and put it in his mouth. Only then did the feeling of emptiness in his stomach gradually subside.
"I should send a message to Brother Minato first."
Ren muttered as he stood up, bit his finger, and began to form hand signs. Finally, he slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
As Ren let out a low shout, a black rune array appeared on the empty ground in front of him, followed by a burst of white mist.
"Yo, Kosuke."
Seeing the red-skinned toad with two goggles around its neck emerge from the white mist, Ren raised his hand in greeting.
"Ren? Your Summoning Technique is perfect. Fukasaku-sama was just about to reverse-summon you."
Kaeru Kosuke opened his mouth and spoke after recognizing the summoner in front of him. This left Ren, who was just about to speak, somewhat bewildered.
"Huh??"
"Never mind, wait a moment. I'm going back first. See you at Mount Myōboku."
Before Ren could even ask for the full story, another puff of smoke burst around Kaeru Kosuke, and a familiar spatial fluctuation appeared around him.
"What exactly is going on?"
Just as Ren was in shock, the next moment, he directly disappeared from the tent.
Not long after, two Hyuga clan members with Byakugan eyes walked in from outside. They had just detected a clear Chakra fluctuation here, and the use of Chakra was strictly prohibited within the Konoha Camp.
Seeing the empty tent in front of them, the two unwillingly searched for a long time but found nothing and could only give up, turning to leave.
Meanwhile, Ren had arrived at Mount Myōboku again.